Virginia Raggi became first female mayor of Rome

Leading member of the populist anti-corruption Five Star Movement (M5S) of Italy, Virginia Raggi (38) was elected as first female mayor of capital city Rome.

She also becomes the 65th and youngest mayor in Rome’s history and also the first candidate from M5S party to get elected to Mayor of Rome.

In the mayoral election, Raggi won 67% of the vote in a runoff ballot against the Democratic Party’s (PD) Roberto Giachetti.

With this win in Rome, the M5S party has emerged as the main opposition to centre-left Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi. Apart from Virginia Raggi, another M5S candidate Chiara Appendino also won the mayoral elections in Turin.

Virginia Raggi is a lawyer and local councillor. As a lawyer she specialises in judicial and extrajudicial civil law. In the 2013 municipal election of Rome, Raggi was one of four members of the M5S elected as councillor to city council.